# US 7,612,809 B2 · Camera apparatus and image processing method

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- Number: US 7,612,809 B2
- Document ID: US7612809B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/110,573
- Filed: 2005-04-19
- Published: 2005-08-25
- Granted: 2009-11-03
- Earliest claimed: 1998-12-08
- Assignees: Sony Corporation
- Inventors: Atsuhiro Kumagai; Koichi Sato
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7612809B2

## CPC

- H04N 5/772: {the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure}
- H04N 5/85: on discs or drums
- H04N 9/8047: {using transform coding}
- H04N 9/8227: {the additional signal being at least another television signal}
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

A camera apparatus equipped with an optical system, a photographing element for converting a light signal of an object to be photographed from the optical system to an electric signal, an A/D conversion unit for converting the electric signal from the photographing element to digital image data, a data compression unit for compressing the image data from the A/D conversion unit with a prescribed form based on a software program. Data conversion converts the compressed data from the data compression unit to a prescribed form of data that is recordable into a direct read after write type optical disk or a rewritable optical disk that records the compressed data. The camera enables a user to watch on a personal computer static images that have been photographed without making data transfer to the personal computer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A camera apparatus, comprising:
an optical system;
a photographing element for converting a light signal of an object to be photographed from the optical system to an electric signal;
an A/D conversion unit for converting the electric signal from the photographing element to image data;
a control means for compressing the image data from the A/D conversion unit, converting the compressed image data to a prescribed format, and producing thumbnail image data corresponding to the compressed and converted image data; and
means for recording the image data of the prescribed format corresponding to each photographed object starting at a head end of a data area on an optical disc and recording the thumbnail image data sequentially backwards from a terminal end of the data area on said optical disk; whereby the image data is physically separated from the corresponding thumbnail image data,
wherein the image data of the prescribed format is read by a personal computer from the optical disc without being transferred to the personal computer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The camera apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a common file name is given to the thumbnail image data corresponding to the compressed and converted image data.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The camera apparatus according to claim 1, wherein serial numbers with a time are given to the compressed and converted image data and the thumbnail image data.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The camera apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said optical disk has a diameter of 80 mm.

### Claim 5

A method of image processing for a camera apparatus, comprising the steps of:
converting a light signal of an object to be photographed from an optical system to an electrical signal;
A/D converting the electric signal to image data;
compressing the image data;
converting the compressed image data to a prescribed format;
producing thumbnail image data corresponding to the compressed and converted image data; and
recording the image data of the prescribed format corresponding to each photographed object starting at a head end of a data area on an optical disc and recording the thumbnail image data sequentially backwards from a terminal end of the data area on said optical disk; whereby the image data is physically separated from the corresponding thumbnail image data,
wherein the image data of the prescribed format is read by a personal computer from the optical disc without being transferred to the personal computer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method according to claim 5, wherein a common file name is given to the thumbnail image data corresponding to the compressed and converted image data.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method according to claim 5, wherein serial numbers with a time are given to the compressed and converted image data and the thumbnail image data.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The method according to claim 5, wherein said optical disk has a diameter of 80 mm.